


Family Values

by IncendiaGlacies



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-03-20 11:42:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13716963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IncendiaGlacies/pseuds/IncendiaGlacies
Summary: “You shouldn’t have done that,” Ava continued to tell Rip.“Had to,” Rip groaned painfully, “I already lost one child. I wasn’t about to lose another.”And that was all the confirmation Sara needed. Ava Sharpe was somehow Rip Hunter’s daughter.





	Family Values

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AgentMaryMargaretSkitz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentMaryMargaretSkitz/gifts).



> There was a theory on tumblr and I was inspired...

The gun shot came out of nowhere. One second Ava was fighting side by side next to Sara, and the next a bang went through the air. Sara looked to her side, worried she’d find her companion on the ground, and she did. Except, Ava wasn’t the one that was hurt. Rip was.

Rip lay on the ground, clutching his stomach as the blood seeped through his shirt, blossoming red everywhere. Ava was shaking her head as she held him in his arms. “No, no, Daddy. Why would you do that? Why?”

Sara stared in shock as she listened to Ava’s words. Daddy? But that, that didn’t make any sense at all. Rip was certainly not the kinky kind, but there was no way Ava could actually be his daughter. But then again, time travel was weird. Sara felt Gideon stiffen next to her as she also watched the sight.

“Gideon, I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Sara tried to calm her down.

“He needs the medbay. Now,” Gideon stated monotonously. She stared at Ava coldly, “We need to move him.”

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Ava continued to tell Rip.

“Had to,” Rip groaned painfully, “I already lost one child. I wasn’t about to lose another.”

And that was all the confirmation Sara needed. Ava Sharpe was somehow Rip Hunter’s daughter.

* * *

 

“He’s stable,” Gideon announced a few hours later, “Should be waking up soon.”

“Thank you, Gideon,” Sara said as they watched Rip for any signs of stirring. The former AI nodded and crossed her arms stiffly as she stared at Ava sitting by Rip’s bedside. The Time Agent hadn’t moved since he had been brought in. And Sara thought Gideon was overprotective of Rip, but Ava put her to shame. Ever since Mallus had somehow given Gideon a human body, she had stayed with her former Captain. Sara had no choice but to let Rip back on the team, not that she minded because it meant more Ava as well.

“And maybe after that you and Rip can explain exactly how you’re his daughter?” Sara asked Ava pointedly.

“Well the way it was explained to me is when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much-”

“Not what I meant!” Sara cut the smirking blonde off. Ava shrugged and turned back to Rip. She gazed at Gideon for a moment but Gideon resolutely turned away. Sara figured it wasn’t fun to know the man you loved had a child with someone else. And Gideon had already been through it once.

“I’m from the future,” Ava said, “You’ve been time travelling for a while now. Surely, it isn’t that strange for you?”

“Yeah but, Rip is British and you’re American,” Sara pointed out the inconsistencies, “And what happened to not travelling back to personal timelines? The last time we did that, we broke time. And you and Rip – your father! – had a lot to say about it.”

Ava sighed, “I was raised in Central City, had a reasonably normal life. Didn’t know anything about this time travel stuff until I was a teenager. And I had to travel back in time – in my future, Mallus he-” Ava cut herself off. She swallowed roughly and tried to finish, “He killed my mother. And I couldn’t – he should have never existed in the first place. I had to fix it.”

“You shouldn’t be messing with the timeline like that. Even if your mother did die,” Gideon scolded her.

“You let Dad – Rip – travel back in time,” Ava pointed out, “How’s it different with me?”

 “Well I see you’re determined to be as stubborn as he is. Like father, like daughter,” Gideon sighed exasperatedly.

“And I couldn’t be prouder.” They all turned to the bed where Rip was looking at them all blearily, smiling softly at Ava.

Ava reached out and covered his hands, “Rip, are you alright?”

“It’s Rip now? I was ‘Daddy’ a few hours ago.”

“A few hours ago you were shot and dying!” Ava said, “Besides, I haven’t called you that since I was like six. I kept insisting I was too old for it and you pouted for a good month.”

“I’m sure I did, but I look forward to it all the same,” Rip said.

“You might not have even made it there. What were you thinking?” Ava demanded, “You could have died. And if you died, there would be no me anyways!”

“I couldn’t let you get hurt. Besides, I knew Gideon would fix me up just fine.”

“One of these days I might not be there to save you, Captain,” Gideon said harshly.

“Yes, you will,” Rip dismissed her argument. Gideon huffed and stared at a blank wall, Sara could see a shiny film on her eyes. Ava poked Rip in the shoulder and he reached out and took one of Gideon’s hands in his own. “I’m sorry,” he whispered to her, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Well you did,” Gideon said sharply.

“So, Ava’s your future daughter?” Sara piped up to remind them she was still in the room.

“Yes,” Rip sighed.

“And you already knew this,” Gideon realized slowly, “You’ve known this for a while, haven’t you?”

“Gideon, I-”

“It’s not his fault,” Ava cut Rip off, “I mean it is, but – I apparently wasn’t very good at keeping secrets. I’ve learned though.”

“Is that why you turned me off for so long?” Gideon asked, “Because she was here and you didn’t want me knowing you had a daughter?” Their relationship was undefined most of the time, but Gideon had always been so sure there was something there between herself and her Captain. Some unspoken words. But perhaps she was wrong.

Rip tried to sit up some as Ava fussed over him. He waved her hands away and kept his eyes on Gideon. “You wouldn’t have approved and would have just worried.”

“I could have helped,” Gideon hissed at him. “Besides, what do I care if you went off and got married and had a child? Good for you!”

Rip chuckled lowly, “Your tone of voice would suggest otherwise.”

Gideon glared at him, “If I did care, it is because it is completely reckless of you to agree to this ridiculous plan.”

“Mallus needed to be stopped. And you know as well as I do what the Time Masters used to say about him. And if he succeeded then Ava’s mother-”

“So you risked time itself for some woman you don’t yet know just because-”

“I risked time for you!” Rip yelled at her.

Gideon paused in her rampage and stepped back. She looked from Ava to Rip, completely stunned. “What?” she stuttered, “No, don’t be silly. Just because she’s your daughter, doesn’t means she’s mine.”

“Of course she is,” Rip said.

“No, she’s not! How could she possibly-”

“Who else would I fall in love with Gideon?” Rip asked her, “Who else could I possibly consider moving on with after losing my first family?” Gideon stared at him in shock. Never before had he come that close to revealing his feelings to her, not since they had kissed in his mind. Rip looked at her intensely, “I couldn’t bear the thought of thought of losing you too. I had to help her, Gideon. I had to.”

Gideon swallowed tightly as she looked at Ava – at her daughter. “You-you’re-”

“Ava Grace Hunter,” Ava nodded, reciting her full name.

“Grace,” Gideon repeated. A G-name as per AI tradition. She had always loved that name and had proposed it to Rip and Miranda if they were to have a girl.

“Hi Mum,” Ava gave a small smile. She took a step around the bed towards Gideon, only for the former AI to step back. Ava stopped in her tracks gave her a wounded look.

“I’m sorry – I can’t – I’m having trouble processing-” Gideon stopped, realizing she didn’t have the right words to say. And everything she was saying apparently made things worse given how Ava’s face kept drooping.

“I think your mother just needs some time is all,” Rip spoke up as he pulled Gideon closer to her. His eyes were apologetic and trained on Ava.

“Right,” Ava nodded distractedly. She cleared her throat, “I’ll just – I’ll give you some time. I should go, see if I can – I’ll just go.” Ava turned on her heel and left the medbay. Rip stared at Sara pointedly.

“I’ll go make sure she’s alright, I guess,” Sara offered.

“And make sure she doesn’t leave the ship please, Ms. Lance,” Rip ordered her.

“On it,” Sara said and followed Ava.

Rip gestured Gideon to his side, moving slightly so she could sit next to him on the bed. “What are you thinking?”

“She can’t – how can she possibly be – I’ve barely even been human,” Gideon stumbled over her words.

Rip brushed back a stray hair from her face, “Well, some day she will be.”

“How do you know it’s true?”

“Other than how she clearly has your brains and ‘I am always right’ attitude?” Rip joked. Gideon’s glare made it clear it was not appreciated. Rip sighed, “I had a DNA test run on her when she joined the Bureau as per regulations. It was obvious that she was my daughter, but the other half – there was no match to anyone that ever existed yet. It wasn’t that hard to make the connection that she was yours too.”

“And then you turned me off,” Gideon looked at him, “You said it was so I wasn’t affected by Eobard’s workings with me in Central City at the time.”

Rip squirmed uncomfortably, “A small white lie. I’m not sure if it would have affected you given how far we were. But this was your personal future I was toying with, I had to be careful.”

“I die in the future,” Gideon recalled Ava’s story.

“No,” Rip said resolutely shaking his head, “Not if I have anything to say about it. I am not losing you, Gideon.”

“And Ava feels the same, apparently,” Gideon barely managed to voice the name.

“She loves you a lot,” Rip said softly.

“She stood by and let you be incarcerated.”

“And so did you.”

Gideon looked away, ashamed by her actions at the time. Rip tilted her chin up and made Gideon face him again. “I got slightly carried away with this Mallus business. I was obsessed, just like with Savage. But I couldn’t handle the thought of – of him taking you from me. I didn’t have you with me to talk me out of it, and I had to keep you safe with the Legends. The less you knew, the less likely Mallus would have been able to target you. And Ava – she got worried about me. She did visit me often, even helped me plan my escape. She didn’t mean any harm.”

“I’m sure she didn’t.”

Rip pulled her closer to his side and wrapped an arm around her. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but it’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

“It is a lot,” Gideon ran a hand through her hair, “I mean – what does this mean for us?”

“What do you mean?”

“I – we – clearly we’re not exactly in a relationship currently,” Gideon gestured between them, “And we need to be – I mean – when are we supposed to…conceive her?”

“I – I don’t know!” Rip spluttered as his cheeks flushed, “That’s not exactly something I talked to her about!”

“Well we need to know, don’t we? To know when to have-”

“Gideon!” Rip stopped her, “I’ve got it. Thank you!” He cleared his throat uncomfortably, trying not to squirm under Gideon’s gaze. “I don’t know. But time always wants to happen,” he took her hand in his again, “So, how about we just go about this naturally? And whatever happens will happen? It would have anyways, eventually.”

“Would it?” Gideon asked uncertainly.

“Yes,” Rip said confidently, “In case I hadn’t made it clear before, you are everything to me, Gideon. And I can’t imagine spending my life without you.”

“I feel the same,” Gideon whispered as she tucked her head against his chest, careful not to hurt him. Rip pressed his lips to her hair and held her tightly. Whatever happened in the future could wait, for now, this was more than enough. “Captain?”

“Hmm?”

“Does this mean Ms. Lance is going to be our daughter-in-law?”

Rip stopped his hand from where it had been rubbing circles into Gideon’s back, “No. Please, no. I can really only handle so much. Ava doesn’t like Sara, does she?”

Gideon giggled against him, “You’re clearly blind. She’s positively smitten. My baby girl has a crush.” She paused for a second, pulling away from Rip so she could look at him properly. A smile appeared on her face, “Rip, I’m going to have a baby someday.”

“I think you mean, we’re going to have a baby.”

“Yes, but – I’m going to be a mother.”

“Yes, you will be,” Rip pulled her into his arms again, “And you’ll be absolutely brilliant at it.”

* * *

 

“Oh good,” Sara smiled when she found Ava on the steps to the bridge, “I was scared you left. Rip made it pretty clear you were to stay on the ship.”

“Yeah, I bet,” Ava gave a forced laugh.

“You okay?”

“When Dad – Rip – found out about me, I expected the worst. Because he had this other family, he told me about them when I found out about the time travelling. Finding out about having a brother but he died – it was a lot. Anyways, when I met this version of my father, he just – he hugged me. Like he never wanted to let me go.”

“Sounds like he’s a good dad,” Sara said, “I’m sorry about everything that happened in there. Gideon is-”

“I know how Mum is,” Ava sighed, “She’s – she’s something. Treated me like I was a puzzle half the time when I was growing up.”

“That must have been hard,” Sara nudged her.

“No actually,” Ava smiled at her, “Because I always knew how much she loved me. Always making sure I had an umbrella in case it rained, helping me with my math homework – I used to call her a human calculator. And then I found out she used to be an AI. We had this thing where I would read bedtime stories to her instead the other way around and she would always act so surprised by my plot twists. Said I had an untethered imagination. And she gave the best hugs.”

“And then you lost her,” Sara said. She remembered how much Laurel meant to her, how much she still missed her sister to this day.

“And then I lost her. I had to come back and fix things, I had to. Mallus may have made my mom human, but he had no right to take her life,” Ava said.

“Then we won’t let that happen,” Gideon spoke up from behind them. They turned around to see the other woman standing behind them, smiling slightly. “Ms. Lance, would you mind giving us a moment?”

“Yeah, take your time,” Sara got up and left Gideon to her daughter.

Gideon hesitated before sitting next to Ava. “I’m not sure how to start,” she admitted.

“Hi.”

“Hello, it’s nice to meet you. Properly.”

“It’s good to see you,” Ava said thickly. She wiped her eyes as she apologized, “I’m sorry. It’s just – it’s been a while for me since I got to see you like this.”

“You mean human?”

Ava nodded, “It was easier not to think about you when you weren’t physically around. It didn’t hurt as much.”

“I’m sorry,” Gideon reached out before dropping her hand. She sighed as she looked down, “For a lot of things.”

“You um, you don’t like me very much, do you?” Ava asked quietly.

“I think,” Gideon started slowly, “That you are a driven woman. Perhaps a bit more of a stickler for the rules than I am, but you believe in them. And you clearly know how to take care of yourself. I’ll admit I probably wasn’t the nicest when we first met-”

“You only ever used that tone of voice with the girls that bullied me back in elementary.”

“You had bullies?” Gideon narrowed her eyes at the thought.

“Not anymore obviously,” Ava shook her head at her mother’s usual overprotectiveness, “Like you said. I can take care of myself. I heard a lot about Sara Lance growing up – the White Canary. Kind of idolized her and decided to learn self-defense just like her.”

“Yes, I’m sure Ms. Lance was a wonderful role model. Or should I call her, Sara?” Gideon teased her.

Ava felt her cheeks heat up and covered her face with her hands. She knew she wasn’t that good at being subtle – she was as bad as her mother sometimes – but she had hoped to keep her feelings a secret for a little while longer. “Oh, this is worse than my first date!”

“I’m sure it couldn’t have been that bad.”

“Have you met you and Dad?”

“Alright, it probably was,” Gideon shrugged. She looked down at her hands as she spoke again, “For what it’s worth, I am sorry for how I acted.”

“Are you only saying this because you found out I am your daughter?” Ava asked unsurely. She knew just how deep her mother’s love ran for her. Even more than she loved Rip. But Ava didn’t want Gideon to like her only because she was her daughter. She wanted to be worthy of her love. She wanted her mother to be as proud of her as her dad was.

“I’ve never been good with people,” Gideon started, “Most of my Captains didn’t particularly enjoy having me around.”

“I didn’t know that,” Ava said.

“It’s not something I like to think about. Besides, Rip has always treated me kindly,” Gideon said, “But children, that was an entirely different matter altogether. I don’t understand them half the time. Up until a few weeks ago I didn’t know how to be human and now I’m finding out I’m a mother. Will be a mother eventually. And I want to do right by that. And Rip Hunter, that man has made many mistakes, but never as a father. He always put his son first – as I know he would do with you. And if there is one thing I learned from him, it is unconditional love. You’re asking me if my opinion has changed because I know you’re my daughter now, I don’t know honestly. But if it has, it’s changed for the better, because you deserve that as our child. Unconditional love, Ava.”

Ava nodded, “I know. You two have always loved me a lot.”

“And I suppose, in the interest of honesty and earning your respect properly. I should tell you, I may have once, in a state of annoyance, called you a bitch.”

Ava stared at her blankly, “You know if I had used that kind of language you would have grounded me.”

“Rightly so, I’m the mother. I decide what’s allowed.”

“Of course, because you say so,” Ava said.

“Obviously,” Gideon replied straight-faced. She gave a small smile, “I apologize for my words and behavior. Truthfully, I was annoyed because you followed all these ridiculous rules and my Captain – Rip – your father, I mean – he seemed to trust you more than me at that point. I didn’t particularly like it. I thought we were too different. Can you forgive me?”

“Dad always said we were too alike. Like mother like daughter,” Ava said in amusement, “I guess I can be a little hard headed at times. Dad says I get it from you.”

“Oh he does now, does he?” Gideon raised an eyebrow, “Well we’ll just see about that. Hard headed! He should look in the mirror some time!”

Ava couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her. Gideon gave her a strange look. Ava shook her head, “Sorry, I just – I miss this so much. You. There were these nights when I was a little girl where we would just sit around and play board games. And there would be these high stake prizes – like me getting to stay up past my bedtime, or getting to pick the movie for family night. You’d always get so competitive, we used to gang up on Dad a lot.”

“That sounds perfect,” Gideon smiled at the thought of it all. “I never thought I could have all that. Even with Rip’s family, I never quite felt like I was a part of it. Never thought I could be. I am very happy to know that I get that, with you, someday.”

“Yeah, same,” Ava nodded, her smile slipping off her face.

“Oh no, did I say something wrong?” Gideon asked worriedly, “Oh bollocks! You’re not even born yet and I’m already ruining this!”

“Language,” Ava tutted as Gideon rolled her eyes at her. “No, you didn’t say anything, I’m just scared. What if we don’t save you? I don’t want to go back to a life without you.”

“Well even if I’m not, I’ll be happy knowing that you are safe and alive and happy. Understand?” Gideon said in her no nonsense tone.

“Yes, Mum.”

Gideon grinned, “You called me Mum. I rather like it!”

“I do too,” Ava said. She hesitated before asking, “Could you – Can I have a hug? It’s just been so long since-”

She didn’t have to finish her sentence before Gideon’s arms were around her, enveloping her in warmth and love. “You don’t even have to ask,” Gideon whispered.

Ava sniffled and buried herself closer to her mother, just as she had done when she was a little girl and sick or scared of the dark. “I know. Thanks, Mum. I love you.”

“I love you too. Always.”

* * *

 

“Are you sure about this?”

“You’ve asked that five times, are you chickening out already?”

“No! There are just like a thousand different ways this could go wrong,” Ava sighed, “You don’t know my parents, they’re-”

“I actually do know your parents. Pretty well,” Sara raised an eyebrow.

“Which just makes this even worse and more awkward.”

“We’re time travelers, any age difference is pretty much null. No matter how many times Gideon calls me a cradle robber,” Sara rolled her eyes. Ava shrugged, her mother (in any point in time) had a way with words.

“Well you are the one that was worried in the first place,” Ava pointed out.

“Look, you’re the kind of girl you take home to meet the parents. I get taken to an exorcism,” Sara said. “Besides, I figure it’s the least I can do. Mallus is gone, Gideon – you’re mom’s saved.”

“Yeah, she is,” Ava smiled. The new memories had been a delight, if an adjustment. It had been bittersweet knowing she couldn’t be around the younger versions of her parents any longer. But she still heard about them from Sara.

“And we’ve had a proper date now, you’ve met my dad” Sara smiled indulgingly, “And you haven’t done anything recklessly stupid in the past two weeks to save someone.”

“It runs in the family,” Ava shrugged. Her dad was constantly putting himself in danger to protect others and her mother was the very definition of a mama bear.

“Yup, jumping off buildings, having to be right all the time-”

“Protecting time,” Ava rolled her eyes, “Not that you’d understand, running around with your team of losers.”

“Oh please, you come to movie night all the time now,” Sara quipped, “Now, we doing this or not? I can’t wait to see the look on Rip’s face.”

“Do not give my father a heart attack!” Ava warned her, “Mum would murder you. And get away with it.”

Sara laughed but quickly sobered when she saw Ava had her serious face on – the one she got from Rip. “Alright,” Sara raised her hands in surrender, “I’ll be on my best behavior. Now, shall we?”

“Ready for this?”

“Definitely.”

Ava smiled and knocked on the door, waiting in anticipation. Her grin widened as the door opened, “Hi Mum, hi Dad! I missed you guys!”

**Author's Note:**

> kudos/comment?


End file.
